Right to Vote Hangs in the Balance

The Supreme Court on April 28 by a 6-3 vote upheld Indiana’s voter identification requirement that could disenfranchise many of the tens of thousands of Indiana voters who lack proper identification – such as the poor, young and elderly who do not drive. Indiana has never had a single documented case of voter impersonation, which the law allegedly seeks to prevent.

The ruling throws the issue of voter ID to the political arena, where the facts are strongly on the side of voter ID opponents. FairVote's Rob Richie commented, "Our laws should never block access to the polls even as we ensure secure elections for all. Long-term, we need a constitutional right to vote to ground our elections and universal voter registration where the government and citizens share responsibility for maintaining full and accurate rolls.”